'Pre-schools like ours won't survive if we can't find new homes'
Rainbow Corner nursery in Moira, County Down, faces potential closure after being asked to vacate Deramore Orange Hall by June 2027, as its committee has been unable to find suitable alternative premises. Unlike state-run preschools, voluntary nurseries must secure their own facilities, a challenge exacerbated by high demand for community spaces. Staff and parents express deep concern over the impact on children and employment if no new location is found.
- ▪Rainbow Corner nursery has operated from Deramore Orange Hall since 1979 but must leave by 30 June 2027.
- ▪The nursery has exhausted all potential venues within a five-mile radius and may close if no new premises are secured.
- ▪Deramore Community Group, the landlord, cited its own event programming as the reason for not renewing the lease.
- ▪Voluntary nurseries serve 29% of pre-primary children in Northern Ireland, including Rainbow Corner.
- ▪Parents and staff emphasize the emotional and practical impact closure would have on families and the local community.
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'Pre-schools like ours won't survive if we can't find new homes'7 minutes agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleLuke SprouleBBC News NIBBCAlison Toole is worried for the future of Rainbow Corner nursery and her job thereA lack of suitable premises is putting pressure on voluntary preschools to stay open, a nursery struggling to find a new home has said.Rainbow Corner has been based in the same Orange hall since 1979, but has been told by its landlord it needs to leave by the end of June 2027.After months searching for a new home, the pre-school's committee said it had exhausted every option within a five-mile radius and now faced closure.Teacher Alison Toole told BBC News NI it had left staff feeling stressed that they may not have a job after the next school year.Unlike statutory…
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